VIDEO: Mooseheads make surprise 1st-round pick at Q draft

Halifax coach says U.S. player Jack Eichel will make impact if he reports

UPDATED 5:29 a.m. QUEBEC CITY — The Halifax Mooseheads caught some people by surprise with their first pick at the QMJHL draft on Saturday.

The Mooseheads selected young American centre Jack Eichel 15th overall, a tactic not often seen in the league.

“He’s the No. 1 U.S. player that we’ve had ranked all year,” said Mooseheads general manager Cam Russell. “I think if he was (ranked) in the draft, he’d be the best player in the draft.

“We watched him play all season and we talked to him and the family and we feel confident we can convince him to come and play for the Halifax Mooseheads. If we can get him here, he’d be another very, very exciting player to watch.”

Eichel, 15, had 36 goals and 77 points in 32 games for the Boston Junior Bruins this year and was to join USA Hockey’s national team development Program next year. He also made a commitment to Boston University in late April for his post-secondary hockey, but it looks like he may be interested in the major junior route.

Although Eichel won’t turn 16 until late October, Russell feels he will make an impact if he reports.

“We had the same questions about (Nathan) MacKinnon and (Jonathan) Drouin last year but you see the success those players had,” Russell said.

“This player, without making comparisons, he’s on that level. He’s a premier 16-year-old player. Our feeling is he’d have an immediate impact.”

Eichel was not present at the draft, so third-round pick Alexandre Lacroix-Courville was the first player to make his way to the Halifax table. He is a hard-working forward who could be an ideal fit on the Mooseheads’ fourth line this season.

“I’m an energy player,” Lacroix-Courville said. “I can hit and I can score goals. I would say I’m a power forward.

“With my style, I think I’m going to have a good chance to make it.”

Halifax’s next pick, sixth-rounder Liam Alcade, is also an energetic winger who is a heavy hitter with a decent touch around the net.

“I’m a big, physical player,” said the five-foot-11, 200-pound forward from the Ontario Hockey Academy. “I like to grind but I’m not afraid to score. I was third in my league in points this year.

“(The Mooseheads) are going to be a good team this year, so I hope to be a part of it.”

With most of the top three lines already set, gritty players like Lacroix-Courville and Alcade could be perfect fits on Halifax’s fourth unit.

“We’ve got three or four spots at forward that are open,” Russell said. “They’re open for those guys to come in and make the team. We’ll see what happens in camp, but the opportunities are there.”

The Mooseheads also traded their 2012 CHL import pick (37th overall) to Sherbrooke for the Phoenix’s 2013 import pick. The Phoenix are an expansion team, so there’s a chance next year’s pick will be a good one.

“We just have to make sure we beat Sherbrooke every time we play them,” Russell joked. “We need two European picks next season, so that trade made a lot of sense to us. We don’t have to give up anything we needed to do it. We didn’t need that draft pick.”

Czech forward Marty Frk will fill one of Halifax’s two European spots this year and there’s a strong possibility German defenceman Konrad Abeltshauser will be sent back to junior by the San Jose Sharks. He would fill the other import spot.

“There’s a really good chance Konrad comes back, and if you look at what Moncton gave up to get the first pick this year, you can see the price you might have to pay,” Russell said.

“We’re not saying that pick will be as high next year, but it’s just nice to acquire another European pick and not give up something valuable to get it.”

Russell seemed satisfied with the players he added but noted that every GM usually sees it that way on draft day.

“I think every team always leaves thinking they got what they wanted,” he said. “But we got a couple guys that we targeted and it’s always nice to get the players that you want.

“We were really pleased Alcade was there in the sixth round and the other guys as well. We’re really happy with what we got.”

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If the Mooseheads countine off from last season. And is a QMJHL contender this year. I think Jack Eichel, will play for Halifax. Good pick for the franchise. now, possibly for a Memorial Cup berth in Saskatoon? Time will see.